The wait for a post-Concorde supersonic jet has become a little bit longer. Aerion, a US-based engineering group has been pushing aggressively to meet a self-set target for bringing the world’s first supersonic private aeroplane into service by 2020.

Pratt & Whitney has successfully completed an initial design review of its new engine concept being developed for the US Air Force Research Laboratory's (AFRL) Adaptive Engine Technology Development (AETD) programme.The review paves the...

Alberto Garcia Romera's insight:

On point A), you can see the deeply serpentine inlet which is fantastic for low observable airframes of all types, as no radar energy can bounce off the compressor face and generate a massive return. Also, the very inlet cavity itself is shielded from almost all angles giving a good all round low and high band stealthiness as it presents to radar a more uniformed continuous surface.

Point B) we see the cold air that is bled off the inlet going outwards and being directed to point C. Point C) shows that they are indeed going to use a very stealthy fixed flat exhaust, and they fully intend to utilise a coanda type thrust vectoring.This helps stealth from the rear aspect immensely as there is no need to try and 'turkey feather' the exhaust as in the F-35, nor shape the thrust vectoring paddles as on the F-22. This system also allows for a substantial reduction in exhaust temperatures, so helps in the realm of IR stealth, and at max thrust the system will not have twin spears of shock trailing behind, aiding visual stealth, especially night time attack missions.

Cambridge, Mass. – June 18, 2013 – 3D printing can now be used to print lithium-ion microbatteries the size of a grain of sand. The printed microbatteries could supply electricity to tiny devices in fields from medicine to communications, including many that have lingered on lab benches for lack of a battery small enough to fit the device, yet provide enough stored energy to power them.

Swiss Space Systems -- S3, the fledgling Swiss aerospace company, was officially launched on 13 March this year. Its goal is to develop, manufacture, certify...

Alberto Garcia Romera's insight:

Swiss Space Systems (S-3), based in Payerne in the Alpine country, has released plans for a reusable small satellite launch system, with test flights scheduled to begin in 2017.

S-3's plan entails air-launching a reusable lifting body-like vehicle from the top of an Airbus A300, which will, in turn, release a disposable third stage. Though crucial details were not immediately available, the launch system is closely based on Dassault's airborne reusable hypersonic vehicle (VEHRA) concept, which the company has been proposing for several years without any takers. Dassault is one of six industrial partners in the project.

S-3's launcher will deliver up to 250kg (550lb) into low Earth orbit. The company intends to build and flight test a mockup of the second stage in 2014, with a flight-ready spacecraft assembled by 2016, ahead of a 2017 spaceflight.

A deal with Spaceport Malaysia was signed on the same day as the launch vehicle's public unveiling.

The company is associated with a number of notable people within the space sector, including Switzerland's first astronaut, Claude Nicollier.

The US Army has picked AVX Aircraft Company's design for its high-speed Joint Multi-Role Technology Demonstrator (JMR-TD) program.

AVX, which was formed by Bell Helicopter veterans in 2005, says it is in negotiations with the service for a JMR-TD contract, which is expected to be awarded in mid-September. The company joins Bell and a joint Sikorsky/Boeing team in being selected for the program, which is expected to lead into the army's nascent Future Vertical Lift effort to replace the Sikorsky UH-60 and potentially the Boeing AH-64 Apache in the 2030s.

"The AVX proposal offers the capabilities the Army wants for the future fleet of utility and attack aircraft at a very attractive price," the company says. Like the Sikorsky/Boeing design, AVX's proposed design is a coaxial-rotor compound machine.

AVX says it has teamed with "a number of experienced aerospace companies for development of the AVX JMR design", which the company claims will mean a lower price tag than the competing designs.

Meanwhile, Piasecki, another smaller firm competing for the army's business, did the not make the grade. "Unfortunately Piasecki was NOT selected for the JMR-TD," the company says. Additionally, EADS North America dropped out of the program--it is not known if their design was found to be acceptable by the army or not.

Investment aims to keep next generation propulsion technology in the UK. The government is to provide £60 million for a rocket engine that can reach the Earth's stratosphere in 15 minutes and accelerate aircraft to five times the speed of sound.

Innovation is an amazing thing to witness- we will always push for the edges of our understanding- within the digital toolset we have the capacity to stretch our standard of development to an exponential growth cycle.

Bob McEwan is the general manager for the New Product Introduction (NPI) at GE Aviation:

"We’re planning to produce fuel nozzles tips using this manufacturing technique, and these parts will be a part of the LEAP engine, due to go into planes by 2016. There are 19 nozzles in each engine, and two engines per plane. We anticipate that by 2020, well over 100,000 parts in GE and CFM engines will be produced through additive manufacturing."

While the Paris Air Show is famous for its aerial displays, a more down-to-earth demonstration at Le Bourget Airport is showing the way for the increasingly electric future of aviation.

A modified A320 showed off its moves on the runway this week, powered by its environmentally-friendly electric green taxiing system (EGTS), which was developed by EGTS International – a joint venture of Safran and Honeywell. One wheel on each main gear is equipped with an electric motor, reduction gearbox and clutch assembly to drive the aircraft during taxi operations, with power electronics and system controllers allowing pilots to control its speed and direction.

The EGTS is powered by the aircraft’s auxiliary power unit (APU) generator, allowing the aircraft to move around the tarmac without using its main engines. This will improve airline operating efficiency during taxi operations and reduce fuel consumption by up to four per cent per flight cycle.

GE Aviation expects to chop off about 25 percent of the total 3D printing time of metallic production components for its LEAP Turbofan engine, using in-process inspection.

Alberto Garcia Romera's insight:

GE Aviation and Sigma Labs have joined together to create and implement “In-Process Inspection Technology” to improve 3D printing speeds.

With GE ramping up its use of 3D printing technologiesin the production of jet components, decreased print and inspection times will be critical to the success of GE’s venture. As outlined in their plan, GE and Sigma Labs are looking to increase 3D printing production speeds by 25 percent.

According to Greg Morris, GE Aviation's business development leader for AM, "Today, post-build inspection procedures account for as much as 25 percent of the time required to produce an additively manufactured engine component." Morris continued, “"By conducting those inspection procedures while the component is being built, GE Aviation and Sigma labs will expedite production rates for GE's additive manufactured engine components like the LEAP fuel nozzle."

In what may have been considered wide-eyed optimism only a few years ago, GE has dedicated itself to produce over 100,000 3D printed components for their LEAP and GE9X jet engines by the year 2020. Each engine will contain 19 3D-printed fuel nozzles, each of which will be 25 percent lighter and 5 time more efficient than conventionally manufactured nozzles.

The Sigma Labs and GE Aviation partnership marks another step forward in the development of 3D printing as viable end product production technique. As the years move forward, and high-profile companies like GE begin to showcase 3D printed components in their flagship products, the technology is sure to see wider adoption across industry.

The SAMBA project, (for "Shock Absorber Material for Birdshield Application"), backed by Aerolia Design & Research Division, concerns the development of new generation bird impact shields for commercial and business aircraft.

Bertrand Piccard successfully brought the solar airplane to Washington Dulles International Airport (VA), landing at 00:15 AM EDT (UTC-4), Sunday June 16th. This was Bertrand’s last mission flight in HB-SIA’s cockpit as the final leg of the Across America journey will be undertaken by André Borschberg, connecting Washington D.C. to New York City. The final leg will also be this solar airplane’s last adventure as its role will be taken over by Solar Impulse’s second generation aircraft, HB-SIB – the airplane that’s also meant to circumnavigate the globe in 2015.

Graphene in this invention would most likely come in the form of nanoplatelets, mixed in with a polymer resin. The resin is then painted onto the aircraft, providing a tight jacket around all airplane components. When ice catches on a part of the airplane, that part (or the entire plane exterior) can be heated by running an electric current through the conductive jacket. The graphene composite would remain smooth and lightweight, preserving aerodynamics. Other solutions include carbon nanotube forests embedded in a resin.

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